


a love you can't design

by demistories



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe - Medieval, Alternate Universe - Royalty, F/M, Kitty Love Zine: A Marichat Zine, Marichat | Adrien Agreste as Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Sneaking Out, a bastardization of fashion history
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-03
Updated: 2021-01-03
Packaged: 2021-03-13 18:42:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,515
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28533099
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/demistories/pseuds/demistories
Summary: By the time Chat can slip out of his rooms, four sections of his candle clock have melted. He curses as he ties on the black mask, the soft fabric wrapping around his face. Sometimes he feels a little silly wearing it, like a charlatan performer his father hires, but it’s this or risking recognition.Desperate not to be identified, his entire ensemble used to be a mess of old black clothes— which never bothered him until he met Marinette. She had gawked at his outfit, not remotely afraid of the stranger dressed like some kind of criminal.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 12
Kudos: 149





	a love you can't design

**Author's Note:**

> haha i DEFINITELY didn't forget that i could post this two months ago! definitely not. this is my fic for the kittylovezine, which was a really incredible experience. thank you to the mods for putting together such an amazing project! 
> 
> a HUGE lovely shoutout to my beta miraculous-elcie for the help hammering this into something that wasn’t a rambling mess and to saturn_grimm for the g o r g e o u s art <3 <3 you can see it [here](https://twitter.com/saturn_grimm/status/1327051188290813952) on twitter!! thank you for making such gorgeous illustrations for my work! 
> 
> see the end notes for WAY too much discussion on the fashion in this piece, even though it really did not need to be this complicated because Literally No One Else Cares. i’ve now done 1/2 of the love square in a vaguely medieval royalty au for zines. any zines wanna hit me up so we can go four for four? title from wildfire by seafret!
> 
> see other posts on the kitty love tumblr~ thank you for letting me participate in this zine, it was an amazing time! enjoy everyone

By the time Chat can slip out of his rooms, four sections of his candle clock have melted. He curses as he ties on the black mask, the soft fabric wrapping around his face. Sometimes he feels a little silly wearing it, like a charlatan performer his father hires, but it’s this or risking recognition. 

Desperate not to be identified, his entire ensemble used to be a mess of old black clothes— which never bothered him until he met Marinette. She had gawked at his outfit, not remotely afraid of the stranger dressed like some kind of criminal. 

He grins as he pulls on the cloak she made. ‘That hair isn’t very stealthy,’ she had said, tugging the hood up.

Chat blows out the candles around his room. Before he climbs out the window, he tucks a neatly wrapped parcel into his belt. 

The path to the tailor’s shop is ingrained in Chat’s muscles as he slips through the streets. He rarely attracts trouble, but there’s always a chance. There’s no telling what someone would do if they found out the crown prince was wandering around unarmed.

Chat taps lightly on Marinette’s window, still hidden in the shadows. After counting to ten, he taps again. The window opens, and Marinette leans out. He can barely see her in the darkness, but he imagines her smile.

“Here, kitty kitty,” she teases. 

“Hi, princess,” he whispers. He steps out of the vines that cover the building, and Marinette beckons him inside. 

“I’m not a princess,” she says as he climbs in. He’s been calling her that for months, but she still protests every time. He mouths her next words in unison, “I’m a seamstress and nothing more.” Marinette closes the window and draws the curtains. 

“You’re a princess to me,” Chat says. 

In the dim light, she rolls her eyes. “Silly cat.” 

He grins, heart fluttering. “Maybe, but I’m _your_ silly cat.” 

Marinette scoffs and pushes past him. “Are you here to bug me or help?” 

“Preferably, both.” He squints as she reaches for a garment. “Can you see? Have you run out of candles?” 

“I’m saving up,” she says. “Your eyes will adjust.” 

“I’ll bring candles,” he promises. 

“Absolutely not. What did I tell you about stealing?” 

It’s not stealing, he never _steals_. As Marinette’s small candle flickers, he thinks of the larger, brighter candles in his room. His gut twists— he should’ve brought some. He rarely lights them, he doesn’t spend enough time home after dark. Mentally, he picks out a few to bring her. 

Marinette holds up the piece she’s working on. It’s a simple dress made of a heavy, dusty blue fabric. “This one’s for me,” she says, “for working the front of the shop; my old one is out of style.” 

Chat’s hand brushes against the parcel at his hip. “What do you need?” 

“Help with a fitting, mostly the back.” She hands him the dress as she unties her apron. 

“This would be easier with more candles,” he says, examining it. Despite all the time he’s spent with Marinette, he knows nothing about making clothes.

“I’ll buy some once I finish paying back Madame for that fabric. It’s expensive.” She tosses her apron onto her bed and pulls her overtunic off. “Here,” she says, handing him a hand mirror. “So I can see the back.”

He exchanges the dress for the mirror and looks away as she changes, face hot and glad that the lighting is low. 

Marinette hums as she works, occasionally asking Chat to move the mirror or place a pin somewhere she can’t comfortably reach. As she adjusts the fabric, he gets caught up staring at how the candlelight casts shadows on her face and makes her eyes sparkle. 

“Did you hear a word I just said?” Marinette asks with a laugh. 

“Of course I did!” Chat answers quickly. 

“So, you heard me say you could put the mirror down?” 

He glances at the hand mirror and then places it down on the bed. “Yes.” 

She snorts. “Of course. If you insist on being a gentleman, turn around. If not, I’d love help out of this, so I don’t stick myself with a pin.” 

Chat helps her out of her dress, averting his eyes even though she still has her shift on. As Marinette slips back into her day dress, he pulls the gift out from under his belt. 

“I got you something.” He holds it out to Marinette as she spins to face him. 

She narrows her eyes. “You didn’t steal this, did you?” 

“I didn’t have to,” he says, which makes her raise her eyebrows. “You trust me, don’t you?” 

Marinette huffs. “Against my better judgment, I do.” She doesn’t bother hiding her smile as she takes the parcel from him. 

Chat tries not to watch too intently as she pulls on the twine.

“Oh,” she breathes as she pulls the paper away. She shoves it at Chat. “I can’t take this.” 

He smiles and closes her hands around the fabric. “Yes you can, it’s a gift.” 

“It’s too much!” she protests, but she’s already pulling away from him to run her fingers over it. “Please tell me this isn’t silk.” 

Chat shrugs. “It isn’t silk.” 

Marinette hits his chest with the back of her hand. “Shut up.” The paper falls to the floor as she holds up the silk. She sighs happily as it shines in the candlelight, and it makes Chat’s chest feel full of butterflies. 

“I wasn’t sure what color to choose,” he says, “so I hope that’s alright for your sampler.” He chose the light pink because it reminded him of her, but he doesn’t know how to say that out loud. He would’ve bought her enough for an entire dress if she’d accept it, but she never would. Marinette’s wanted to make a nicer sampler for as long as he’s known her— she’s embroidered every scrap of fabric he’s ever seen, including the edges of his mask and cloak. 

Marinette blinks, snapped out of her thoughts. “What thread am I going to use?” she asks, horror in her voice. “I can’t use linen, maybe cotton…” She rubs her thumb against the fabric as her gaze gets distant. 

“Do you also need silk thread?” Chat asks. 

“Absolutely not!” She shoots him a sharp look. “Under no circumstances are you to get me silk thread.” 

He hums. “Unrelated, but what colors would you be interested in?” 

“You’re the _worst_.” Marinette lays the silk down on her bed. “I can’t even say that while holding this— I can’t imagine what you paid for it.” 

“It was nothing,” he promises, and it’s not a lie.

“I’ll pay you back.” 

Chat blinks. “No, you won’t.” 

She lifts her chin. “I’ll find a way.” 

“It’s a gift,” he tries to insist.

“I’ll make you something! Something nice. A new shirt, maybe, yours is so thin.” She starts to reach for the drawing pad on her desk. 

He grabs her hands before she can turn away. “You really don’t have to,” he protests. “Just seeing your face when you held the fabric was enough.” 

She stares up at him, eyes wide and shining in the dim light. “What?"

Chat feels his face burn red. “I want to see you succeed.” 

“That’s moving backwards,” she breathes. 

He wants to tell her everything. He wants to sit her down and tell her why he hides his face, why he sneaks out at night. He wants to pull her out of this tiny shop and into his life— to the balls and dinners and meetings. He wants so much beyond the candlelight nights they share. He wants her to see his home, meet his father, understand his life. 

He wants to tell her his name. 

But Marinette has always been braver. She was the one who dared approach a masked figure with only a needle for protection. She’s given him so much, and all he can give back are material goods. 

So he just grins at her. “I’m not moving at all.” 

Marinette sighs. “Unbelievable.” She grabs his cloak and pulls him into a kiss. 

Chat freezes, his mind empty of all thoughts but the feel of her lips against his. She breaks the kiss before he can react. He stares at her and she tilts her head. “I— uh…” 

“I didn’t completely read this wrong, did I?” she asks, eyebrows furrowing. 

He shakes his head and chokes out, “No. Definitely not.” 

Marinette’s face lights up, and Chat momentarily forgets how to breathe. “Good.” She presses another quick kiss to Chat’s lips. “It’s getting late, you should head back home.” 

“Kicking me out?” he asks. 

“Can you call it that when you always come back?” 

“I’ll see you again tomorrow,” he promises. 

This time, he initiates the kiss, and it’s almost impossible to drag himself away from Marinette’s lips and climb out her window. The fluttering in his chest and smile on his face don’t fade the entire way back to the castle, and he falls asleep thinking about Marinette’s eyes. 

**Author's Note:**

> lucky for all of you, i cut a LOT of fashion stuff after my first draft of this. because it was messy. while i did like draw on personal knowledge and some crowseyeproductions videos, lets be real, i totally winged most of the fashion stuff and personally apologize to any readers who know better. especially since i couldn’t really decide what fake time period this would take place during, since 14th century clothing, while more medieval which was definitely the feel of the story, is something i’m less familiar with than like. 16th-18th stuff. plus i know more about upper class wear than lower so i’m just like ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ 
> 
> when marinette is changing and takes off her dress, she’s still wearing a shift, but chat is looking away cause he’s awkward while mari does not care and also is not naked. he’s just a blushy awkward boy in love
> 
> ALSO even though i used the 14th century peasant video as a reference, it doesn’t look like there was much tailoring AT ALL on either of those dresses, as we were still kinda in an age where it was like “ok big fabric rectangle and belt and move on”. because of that, a fitting wouldn’t be necessary. HOWEVER in this imaginary world, marinette’s dress is more structured, and probably has a waistline and maybe some pleats? gores perhaps? anything to make it more interesting. 
> 
> since this fic was heavily inspired by jessica day george’s dragon slippers (originally unintentionally but then i just leaned in) i figure that as a seamstress, marinette’s mistress would want her wearing a somewhat fashionable dress to show off some of her own work for customers, which is how i justify both the fitting and mention of the fabric being more than marinette can afford. also i just really liked the idea of chat helping her with a fitting cause i thought it was cute. i imagine that this takes place at a turning point for fashion, even though mari’s own clothes are incredibly simple, just to make things more interesting for her. with things like petticoats and stays coming into style for the upper class, so theres more to her job (or the job she’s aiming for) than simple tunics and unfitted dresses 
> 
> i don’t know if you would use a non silk thread on silk fabric, but i DO know that silk thread was expensive and usually saved for work on silk fabric (thanks bernadette). also from my brief research i found that silk is best for fancy embroidery which is exactly what marinette would be trying to emulate for her sampler! 
> 
> follow me on [tumblr](https://sadrien.tumblr.com/) (or my [main tumblr](https://transannabeth.tumblr.com/) or my [author tumblr](https://teabelog.tumblr.com/)) or [elsewhere!](https://bloomingtea.carrd.co/) <3


End file.
